Name: Katarina Bilak

D.O.B: 06.05

P.O.B: Belgrade

Instrument: My Voice



My story begins a long time ago when I was little girl sliding on my knees to a "Roxette" Video clip believing I am a guitar hero…and going to the ballet...

My grandfather played violin in an orchestra and my dad was ballet dancer at the Volskoper in Vienna, so I really early got in touch with classical music and started with the age of 7 to play piano. First I wasn’t very happy about it, because I actually wanted to play violin like my grandfather, but after the years I learned to appreciate it and finished the music school with the age of 18. During the school time I was singing in the choir and we had many classical concerts. To be part of the choir was mandatory for all students who didn’t play an orchestra instrument and once again I was forced to do something I thought I wouldn’t ever do. Well, I decided to give it a try and was astonished by the outcome.

Our music teacher Prof. Kugi who was well known for his strict but just manner was surprised too. The grammar school of music is not as easy as it seems and due to my late school entry at the second semester in the third school year no one ever believed I would achieve anything, because I was more than two years behind their level. All students were professionals (and that with the age of 13!!!) All at an advanced level – and I had only six months to reach them, to be allowed to study further….

I really wished to stay, because no one ever laughed at me when I spoke about music and my piano lessons, as it always was in the school I attended before. I never ever wanted to go back to my “old life” so I started to work really hard on the piano and kept on singing and fell in love with it. Both went well and with the time I got little solo parts in a few choir concerts and Prof. Kugi advised me to take vocal lessons as quick as possible and really supported me on my way, but my father couldn't pay both - lessons for piano and voice - so I had to choose. He really forced me to play the piano because he thought I don’t take it serious enough and singing would be just another excuse not to practise piano…

I really needed something where I could do what I wanted to and also could let go. So I started to play E-guitar. Five days after getting my new baby (my first IBANEZ) I joined our school band playing some “Metallica” covers and all that real true metal stuff, but that wasn’t enough for me and I started to compose my own stuff and created some crazy concepts for my music. That was also the time I got into” Symphony X “and “DreamTheater”. I totally psyched out and buried myself with music, trying to combine classic and metal and all other things like playing classical piano and especially school fell into oblivion…

Well… my father went bananas when he realized that his daughter was not going to be a concert pianist but merely a “Prog- Head” with very bizarre musical taste and the wish to become a rock star…As a result massive arguments followed... The school turned to a normal school with the new headmaster. An educational reform came and our natural environment was taken away by eliminating and unkind methods and as a result unfavourable consequences for musicians’ arose. So I left school with just one wish: to make music! I spent some time playing guitar or keys in some local bands but my own vision of music I created didn’t let me rest.

After my piano teachers retirement I didn’t want to waste any energy in searching new teachers and meanwhile the progress and skills in singing became better. Once again I had a few discussions with my dad, he finally understood that I meant it very serious with singing and he started to support me. One day I had luck and finally found the perfect teacher for voice lessons for me and decided to study opera and classical chant. In the same time I met Phil and started to work with him on a project called " Accolade".

That guy was absolutely nuts on the guitar and we fabricated some awesome ideas and the flow of creativity was unstoppable. We realized this is going to be a very big baby and we noticed that other musicians are badly needed. At first we were lucky because I knew a lot of people from school and I also remembered some good old friends.

I asked Michael my old schoolmate if he would like to play piano in my band and work with very crazy people on a very crazy project. Rudee whom I have known as a DJ in my favourite Pub, took the part of the bass-player. As they agreed a new cornerstone was found but there was still the problem with the drummer. After 1 1/2 years and 16 drummers I was sick of searching for people and thought my idea was doomed to failure. But the hand of fate sent us Mike and finally I got my band together!!!

I really fell in love with the guys and I enjoy the feeling to make music with them. We changed the band name and I told the guys I really would like to go on with progressive metal, because I really do believe in their qualities and everything I wrote became exactly that style I wanted it to be. Since my childhood I couldn't stop taking the pen and write music because I always felt it was the most natural thing in the world for me. Finally I feel fulfilled and I am the luckiest girl in the world making music with the people that I chose for this band. I knew that together we could become a strong team and we just stood at the beginning of a great journey…